Chapter 113: Silently Watching Him from Behind

By the time Pepper Potts rushed in with urgency, Tony Stark had already been awake for a while.

“Tony!!!”

The moment she stepped through the door and saw Tony lying in the hospital bed, Pepper couldn’t help but exclaim.

Her sudden shout startled Tony, who quickly hid his right hand under the covers. Turning his head toward Pepper, he forced a weak smile and replied, “Pep, what are you doing here?”

Looking at Tony’s still somewhat pale face and the feeble tone in his voice, Pepper’s heart sank sharply. Worse still was the absence of that usual proud confidence in his eyes.

Pepper knew all too well that the blow Tony was enduring now was far deeper than when he had narrowly escaped the terrorists in the Middle East.

She walked over and sat down beside Tony’s bed.

She didn’t say a word, silently sitting there just as she had for so many years as his assistant—quietly watching Tony Stark’s brilliance unfold.

But now, in her eyes, the brilliance was gone, replaced by the same silent Tony.

Neither of them seemed inclined to break the silence. Tony glanced at Pepper, caught in the gentle warmth of her gaze, then slowly reclined and closed his eyes.

At that moment, something new stirred within Tony’s heart.

Even a genius like him didn’t quite understand what it was.

All he knew was that this feeling brought a sudden calm to his restless, frustrated spirit—vanishing all the turmoil he had felt moments before.

A long while passed.

Neither of them wanted to disturb the silence.

Only the bright hospital lights outside shone relentlessly. Agent Coulson watched the two silently on the monitors, arms folded, not showing any urgency.

But Rafael, who had long suffered the pains of marriage, was quite different.

He paced back and forth anxiously, occasionally glancing at the seemingly frozen scene on the screen, his worry unlike anything usual.

He had been on duty since yesterday morning, and now, heavy with sleep, he wanted to rest—but more than that, he wanted to discover who had injured Tony Stark.

And what was the story behind that silver armor Tony wore?

These two burning questions were the sole motivation keeping him awake.

Even if he went to sleep, Coulson wouldn’t say much, so it was thanks to these two mysteries that he stayed alert.

Yet the overwhelming aura of affection radiating through the monitors was making him drowsier by the minute.

With his experience, Rafael guessed that this quiet moment between the two would last at least another hour.

He wondered whether he should just catch some sleep first.

———

“Xiu, I’m back!”

Peter had changed back into his own clothes, backpack slung over his shoulder, happily heading toward Dr. Zhong’s clinic.

Seeing Dr. Zhong Xiu sitting on a bench outside the clinic, gazing at the fading sunset, Peter slowed his pace, a hint of hesitation in his step.

He sensed that Zhong Xiu seemed to blend into nature itself.

Though he could see him, in his perception, it felt as if Zhong Xiu barely acknowledged his presence.

What kind of ability was this? Peter wondered curiously.

After a while, Zhong Xiu returned to normal, smiled at Peter, and beckoned him inside.

...

Peter set down his bag and immediately sank into the sofa. Skillfully, he adjusted the controls, reclining the backrest and raising the leg rest, luxuriating in a semi-reclined position.

“Your sofa is definitely the most comfortable,” Peter remarked with a contented sigh.

Zhong Xiu also sat down, but with a far more proper posture. He looked at Peter’s restless childlike demeanor and smiled.

“If you like it so much, why don’t you take this single seat back to your room? Besides you, no one else really uses it.”

Peter’s eyes lit up with excitement.

But then the enthusiasm quickly faded, and he said with a hint of disappointment, “Uncle Ben definitely wouldn’t agree. He never took the money you gave me before, saying it was my own earnings to spend as I wished.”

“Still haven’t found a job?” Zhong Xiu asked.

“Nope,” Peter’s expression drooped. “Uncle says the economy’s tough lately, lots of people laid off, and there aren’t many factories around here anyway...”

“He’s thinking of applying again once the Happy Factory reopens.”

“But for some reason, the reconstruction of the Happy Factory has stalled recently.”

Zhong Xiu guessed it was likely related to Stark Industries’ stock plummeting. Such a leading company wielded enormous influence worldwide.

If not for Tony Stark’s characteristic pride, no matter who took charge, it was unlikely they would have shut down the weapons development department so decisively.

“That should be coming soon...” Zhong Xiu agreed softly, then asked, “So you’re not taking the money. The funds I sent you earlier are just sitting there with you?”

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, looking troubled. “Uncle told me to spend it myself, but I usually eat at school or at home, so there’s nowhere really to spend it.”

Zhong Xiu was silent for a moment.

Then a clever idea struck him.

“Then let’s think differently.”

“Hm? What kind of idea?” Peter looked at Zhong Xiu eagerly. He knew Zhong Xiu was always smart and full of ideas.

“Since you’re not taking the money, you can try feeling out if Ben or May need anything special but haven’t bought it due to money. You can buy those things as gifts.”

“And when you’re free, buy some meat or vegetables to bring home. That helps the family too—you don’t always have to give money.”

Upon hearing this, Peter’s face brightened instantly, eyes wide with surprise. “You’re so smart, Xiu! How come I never thought of that?”

Zhong Xiu just smiled in response.

Seeing the mood was right, he shifted to the main topic.

“Peter, why did you come back so late this morning? Did something happen?”

“Trouble... not really. Uncle Ivan and I saw someone sneaking behind us, so I went out and stopped them,” Peter answered earnestly, momentarily pausing his thoughts about what to buy for Uncle Ben and Aunt May.

“What did that person look like? Any distinguishing features?” Zhong Xiu asked.

“Not very tall. She was a woman...” Peter replied seriously.

From this description, Zhong Xiu realized that the person who had followed Ivan and Peter before dawn was the same one who had been causing chaos among the gangs over the past month.

“Heh, Xiu, you know what? I hid my identity really well back then. She couldn’t figure out who I was and didn’t attack me. She just ran off in confusion,” Peter proudly boasted to Zhong Xiu.